Day one of NaNoWriMo is over. One of the drawbacks of working full time is that you can’t work on your writing until the day is over. So you always feel like you’re just a little bit behind. I got my daily word count goal in last night, but it was a struggle. I was writing a scene that happened four months before the rest of the book happened. I couldn’t decide whether to call it Chapter One or Prologue. I read somewhere recently that you shouldn’t do prologues, so it’s chapter one for right now.
So what do we do when we have other obligations (or a desire to do something else)? I mean it’s all I can do to get my word counts in. But this week I have a party to go to on Thursday night, and then I have to spend the night at a lock in for the teenage girls at church Friday night. I can make an early night of it Thursday, I think, and get my word count in. But Friday is going to be totally shot unless I do my writing at work during lunch. I have no idea how long I’ll be there on Saturday. Then, Tuesday of the next week, I have a Pampered Chef party to go to. Grrrrr. But I made my choices. I could have said no.
So what are your obligations or things that keep you from getting your word counts done?
lauralynnelliott.com 
Prologue, smologue; call it what you want. Prologue makes a whole lot more sense. Who’s book is it anyway? Glad you’re working on it, good luck. Hey, you could always work on it during the lock in, that would give them all something to talk about. LOL!
Peace
I’ve never done a prologue before, but I’ve done epilogues. I guess it doesn’t really matter whether or not its chapter one or an epilogue. It’s still the same scene.
Yeah, I can really see me working on the book during lock in. Actually, this one would probably be okay, but I don’t want them to know who I am. :0)
Well, watching the election results has me behind by a good 1000 words. It didn’t help that my cat was in a fight and now has a puncture wound on her thigh (for which I had to take her to the emergency vet).
Still, I think the biggest obstacle is in my head. I can’t write novels in order. I have to write in sections and jump around. This means that the introduction always seems sloppy to me. Argh.
As for prologues, I’m trying to make my prologues into sub-sections of the first chapters, since I found out that a significant portion of the reading population doesn’t read them! (WTF? Seriously, and they expect to understand the story?) I think a PoV change (or two) in Chapter 1, if well written, won’t go astray.
S.V., I don’t understand why people wouldn’t read prologues. Unless they don’t realize that it’s part of the story.
You have an interesting way of writing. Do you jump around because you suddenly get an idea about a scene that you want to write, but it doesn’t fit in the part of the story you’re currently writing? I never use an outline because, honestly, I usually have no idea what’s going to happen except the ending. Then I have little ideas through the day and incorporate those. But usually, the characters will do what they want. This is frowned upon by most of my writer friends, but that’s just the way I do it. I don’t jump around, though. But if it works for you….